Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, only my writing and my imagination.

Author's Note: I found an old one-shot that I wrote a few years ago. It was horribly written (in my opinion; ok for the age I guess) and decided to rewrite it and post it up. Hope you like it

It was saturday and I didn't have to go to the academy. It was the last year of training and I was excited to be able to take my exam soon. It seemed to have taken so long because of all the moves, but it hadn't been all that much longer than some others I'd heard of. Mother had hired some Genin to clean up and work the garden. She hadn't been able to do so herself yet, since her job kept her so busy and she thought that once it was more manageable, I'd want to take care of it. I knew she just wanted to keep me busy and keep me from going outside where things could turn sour as they had so many times before.

She'd told me not to bother the Genin since they had a job to do but I knew that was only half the truth. She kept so many secrets and I had long since learned what to listen to and what not to. She didn't want them to possibly learn about my secret. She'd once argued that I shouldn't become a shinobi because of the possibility of revealing them, but I had played the self-defense card. At least I'd learned how to wheedle a few things out of her.

The shinobi squad in the garden consisted of Hinata Hyuuga, Shino Aburame and Kiba Inuzuka along with his dog. I knew of them, but I was pretty sure they didn't really know me. I'd met and known some of them when I'd lived here before, but they didn't recognize me at all now. When I'd last been in Konoha, it had taken a month or so for my secret to be revealed and we immediately moved before waiting for reactions. That's always the way it was with us. Run and ask questions later, if we did at all.

We'd moved so many times now that mother was thinking of gluing my hat to my head but I don't honestly know if that would help at this point. I don't know why I was so ashamed of them... I shouldn't be, but she'd made me this way and it wasn't something I was about to change... I suppose that the name change and the slight differences in my appearance from puberty helped them not recognize me. I was glad, but a small part of me was sad that my presence seemed to be so easily erased.

Against my mother's wishes, I went out and sat outside on the deck, watching the Genin work in the garden. They didn't pay me any mind, and even though they didn't speak to me, I still felt as though it was a social interaction. I didn't get a whole lot of that besides with mother. I came out late, it seemed, as they were pretty much just finishing up. The garden looked almost beautiful compared to before, but there was still very little growing in it. Mother wanted to leave the planting up to me.

Suddenly, Kiba's dog looked over at me, seeming to be the first to notice my presence. It sniffed in the air for a moment, then bounded towards me, jumping up on me, only slightly short of tackling. He almost knocked my hat off, but I held onto it tight as he began to lick my face. I laughed and pet him as he jumped in my lap, seemingly excited to see me. Apparently someone had remembered me.

All three of the team members looked up in surprise. Akamaru didn't really act that way with anyone but Kiba and even that was rare for others to see in public. They got most of their roughhousing done at home after all. After watching for a few moments, Kiba walked over and took Akamaru back, smiling at me. "Wow! Akamaru doesn't usually take to strangers. You must be a dog lover." he exclaimed, smiling. Hinata seemed to be surprised by what he said, since he usually didn't react kindly when others held Akamaru. Also, he was smiling and it wasn't a smirk. Not unheard of, but it was a little odd.

"Y-you could say that." I replied softly, pulling my hat back into place and fiddling with it a little nervously. The team gathered up their things and then left me alone with my thoughts and my cleaned up garden. He didn't remember me... not at all... It didn't really matter anyway. At least Akamaru remembered me from that day. After all, we'd both been younger and things were different now. A part of me had hoped he would remember, because Mother had forbade me of reminding anyone of my life before. Oh well... what was meant to be would be.

The sounds of the village drifted over my high fence and it made me with I could join them out there. Made me wish that I could just be accepted instead of hiding, that I didn't have to be shunned or criticized for being different but it couldn't be. No one accepted them, and even mother resented them. I could feel it in her gaze when she looked at me. I think that's why she makes me leave a hat on all the time, even though it's just us around. It's as though seeing the cat years on top of my head reminded her of something painful.

I'd never met anyone else like me and no matter how many times I asked mother, she denied it. Surely, my father must have been some kind of demon. I could think of no other explanation but she vehemently denied it. The more she denied it, the more I resigned inside myself that it must be the truth. There was no other way I'd look like I did if my father hadn't been. I had one of my 'troubling moments' then, as mother called them. The moments where I just didn't care what she thought. These were dangerous moments. Moments where I actually did what I wanted and be damned the consequences.

I stood up and walked out the gate.

The streets were fairly busy for a Saturday, but I was glad for this. There was less chance that I'd be noticed in the crowd. A part of me wished I didn't care about this, but the part of me that was terrified to have to move again kept my mother's rules in check.

I began walking down the street. It almost felt like everyone was yelling, and shouting but I knew better. It was just louder than the silence of my confinement. There were some children playing too. Some, I recognized from the academy, both from my years before and my time there now, but some were too young to be there yet if they so chose. I got jolted out of my reverie when someone bumped into me. They didn't turn around or mutter any apologies. In fact, they probably hadn't realized that they'd bumped into me at all. My hat was still in place.

I wandered off towards a park that I'd once known as a child when I'd first been here. There were more children playing here but there was less yelling. More quiet play. I sat against a tree nearby, but not too close, and closed my eyes, letting myself drift into a daydream. Slowly, I felt myself slipping into a dream from which I could not escape.

I was five years old again and in the eleventh house I'd lived in so far. The eleventh of the ones I could remember, anyway. Mother was asleep and there were only a few in the village beginning to wake up. I put on my favorite sundress that Mother had set out for a day of playing in the back yard and I wandered outside. I was the only child around but I went to the park and soon enough, other children joined me. My 'friends'.

I spent some time on the swing set and then moved over to the monkey bars and was climbing on top when someone bumped into me. I felt myself falling backwards and caught my legs on the metal bars. For a moment, I was caught up in the pain of the sudden new pressure on my legs but after a moment, this seemed to completely disappear and was replaced by horror. Everyone was staring at me. I reached up and when my hands touched my hair, I nearly cried. They could see them... Everyone could see them... I dropped off the monkey bars and ran. I didn't care where. Anywhere. Anywhere that was away.

I dodged around a tree, barely registering that it was there or that I'd run into the forest. All I concentrated on was running and my thoughts. It had happened again... My tears that had been threatening to surface began to spill over my cheeks and blurred my vision. I tripped over a tree root and instead of getting up and continuing on, I just lay there. It took me a while to sit up and when I did, a weight landed on my lap and something wet ran over my face. A tongue, that's what it was, a dogs tongue.

I laughed as the puppy licked my tears off my face, apparently enjoying their saltiness and I just hugged the little bundle of fur. Suddenly, I heard something move behind me and I turned, ready to run, holding on to this puppy as if for dear life. There was a boy standing there with strange marks on his cheeks , most likely the owner of the dog, and he was holding my hat. "I think you dropped this." he said, and smiled at me. I snatched it away from him and pulled it over my head as quickly as I could, but the dog pulled it off almost instantly. I laughed and hugged the dog again, and in doing so, didn't realize that the boy had sat next to me.

"Y-you're not scared?" I asked softly, my voice full of uncertainty. All others in the past had reacted with fear and if they didn't, they reacted with anger.

"Scared? Of course not! Shinobi don't get scared!" he exclaimed and smiled again.

"Shinobi?"I asked, never having heard the term before.

"Yeah, shinobi or ninja. We're gonna be the best someday, aren't we Akamaru?" he asked the dog, almost as if he expected a response and began to pet it but didn't pull it off my lap.

"Akamaru..." I said softly, letting the name roll over my tongue, hoping to remember it.

"Hey, what's your name?" the boy asked. "I haven't really seen you around before."

"My name's Isamu, Ayaka." I said, feeling a little shy. I didn't often have to introduce myself like this. Often, it was my mother who did it for me and usually only when it was necessary.

"Well, I'm Inuzuka, Kiba." he replied, shooting me another smile.

"It's nice to meet you, Kiba, but I won't be staying." I said, feeling a little sad that I had to tell him that but knowing that I would have felt more if I hadn't said anything and had just disappeared. For a moment, I had to struggle not to cry again and succeeded this time.

"Huh? Why not?" he asked, sounding genuinely surprised, as if he really didn't see my ears as any sign of me being different.

"Well, everyone saw my.. my..." I said but let myself trail off. He just nodded, and didn't make me finish. "So now I have to move again." I finally finished, when the silence continued.

"Again? How many times have you moved?" he asked, sounding curious.

"You have to promise not to tell!" I said, my voice holding a bit of urgency. I didn't know why I felt this way but telling how many times I moved seemed so personal, something that shouldn't be shared. If I would have thought of my mother in that moment, I would have reinforced that idea inside myself.

"Promise! Pinky swear." he said, holding his pinky out. After a moment of hesitation, I shook it with my own.

"Eleven..." I whispered, but he definitely heard me because his eyes widened. I know that I probably could have added a number or two to that, but it felt more real to tell him about the ones I remembered.

"Will you ever come back?" Kiba asked, sounding almost sad. I gave him the only answer I could.

"I don't know." I replied. I hated having to reply with uncertainty but it was all I could do.

"Well... Here." he said, after thinking a moment and began rifling through his pocket. After a moment, he pulled something out of his pocket, something beautiful. It was just a simple silver chain with a paw print pendant swinging on it. I gave him a look that must have asked him if he was sure. "I can get another." he said, shrugging and shot me another smile.

"I-I better go." I said softly once he had put it around my neck and stood up, letting Akamaru slide off my lap. He whimpered as if displeased at this turn of events. I scampered down the path, hurrying a bit because mother would be getting worried and would need me to start packing what I had managed to unpack.

"I'll see you again sometime, Ayaka!" Kiba called after and Akamaru gave a little bark, as if agreeing with his master. I turned and waved back at them.

"Good bye Kiba." I said and with one last sad smile, I ran home.

I snapped awake, woken by the sound of barking. For a moment, my heart leapt, wondering if it was Akamaru but it was only a young girl playing with her puppy. I sighed and thought back to my dream that was more of a flashback to the one true friend I'd had. There was a reason I remembered Konoha so clearly and I remembered that day. Not only had Kiba been the only friend who'd known and not really seemed to care but he had become my first and only crush. I think a big part of that was just because of his acceptance of me. Even though he had, it didn't really matter anymore. He was a shinobi now, and the strange girl with cat ears on her head that he'd met one day in the forest had probably been long since forgotten.

I fingered the silver chain at my neck, whose pendant was hidden beneath my shirt. I never took it off. It served as a momento that out there, there were people who would accept me. I'd just have to look for them and hope to find them. Continuing to play with the chain, I headed home and mother was already home. A part of me wished I hadn't fallen asleep and wasted all that time but reliving that day felt almost worth it.

"Where have you been?" she asked frantically, her voice also holding anger. I can't imagine she liked to move anymore than I did and when she used that tone with me, I wondered if she regretted having me.

"I went for a walk." I replied, not letting her hear the affect that her anger had on me. I didn't let her hear the weariness either. I was so tired of the same old arguments. I just wished I could live a normal life and go out in the street and not have to worry that one little move could send my world reeling and result in a new place and possibly a new name.

"You shouldn't have! Do you know what could have happened?" she asked, but her voice was a little softer this time. I think part of her was relieved that I hadn't managed to screw things up again.

"Yes mother." I replied and against my better judgment, I continued. "I've known since the day I turned two." I said bitterly. That was the first move I remember. Sometimes, it really isn't a good thing to be blessed with a good memory. Mother's eyes narrowed, knowing that it was a shot at how she'd handled the revealing of my ears over the years.

"Don't go out again." she said with force and then turned, beginning to chop up suppers vegetables with vigor. I could tell that she was trying not to yell more. It was almost sad that I knew that she didn't want to yell not because she was afraid it would hurt me, but because it might draw attention from the neighbors.

I always got a little frightened when she got this angry, even though I knew she probably wouldn't hurt me. I headed upstairs to avoid the angry aura of the kitchen and had to force my door open a little and climb over a couple boxes. We'd been back in Konoha for two months now and I still hadn't finished unpacking. In fact, I'd unpacked very little. I was pretty sure that I'd just end up moving again soon anyway. Some time when I was nine or so, I'd begun doing this, tired of repacking every time. If there was one thing all the moves had taught me, it was to never get very comfortable.

I wrote in my journal that I hadn't written in for nearly a month. I used ambiguous language as always just in case someone found it. It was more for mother because she'd go on about it being too obvious if someone else read it. At the end, I signed my name, Ayaka Isamu but remembered and scribbled it out until there was no way anyone would be able to tell what had been written there before. I then wrote out my new name. Gina Haruko. After a moment, I began scribbling that one out too. Why did it have to be this way? Why I couldn't just... be?

I wanted to leave again. It wasn't because of restlessness this time. I just... didn't want to be here. Anywhere but here, but I knew there was no way she'd let me out. I waited and listened, making sure that she was still busy with the preparation of supper. She wouldn't be up until it was ready, because she was angry. I opened my window and snuck out and crawled up onto the roof. This was one good thing that came of my shinobi training, the ability to escape, even if only for a moment.

With a deep breath, I jumped over to the next roof as softly as I could and then down to the ground on the other side. There was no way that mother would see me now, unless she'd somehow developed x-ray vision at work that day. She wouldn't be able to see me over the high walls that usually kept me locked in. It seemed almost strange that they were helping me stay out at this point.

I wandered down the street again. It was much less busy, even though it hadn't really been all that long. The sun was a few inches above the horizon and everyone was making their way home for supper or were already there. I wandered but found myself wandering towards the playground again and then into the woods, looking for the sort of clearing that I'd met Kiba and Akamaru in so long ago. I did manage to find it, but that wasn't the surprising part. What was surprising is that someone was already there.

A began slowly trying to walk backwards, not taking my eyes off the figure and trying to be as quiet as possible. I was nearly away when I found a tree root, quite possibly the one I'd tripped on in the first place. I fell and flinched, hoping, even if it was futile, that they hadn't heard me. I heard a bark and in a moment, I had Akamaru sitting on my lap, licking my face, just like he'd done the first time. I checked carefully. Yes, my hat was intact. I froze up when I realized that Kiba had moved and was walking over to me.

"We just keep running into each other don't we...?" he said, giving it an upward inflection that seemed to be asking for my name.

"Haruko, Gina." I said with a nod. I would have done a little customary bow but wasn't able to with the dog sitting in my lap.

"I'm Inuzuka, Kiba." he introduced as Akamaru scrambled off your lap and over to Kiba, who leaned down, allowing the dog to climb up his arm and rest around his shoulders. I smiled and so did he, but then his eyes widened and he reached out for my neck. I could feel my heart beginning to race, pounding so loudly that I was sure he could hear it and then he lifted the silver chain ever so gently, so that it came into view. "Ayaka?" he whispered, his eyes clouding a little and they searched mine for an answer. I quickly shook my head.

"N-no, it's Gina, remember?" I said, trying to sound as convincing as I could and with a little smile, I gave a wave and started backing away. Just as I turned, he grabbed my arm and pulled me close and Akamaru, in the perfect position, did what he'd done before all those years ago. He sank his teeth into my hat, and pulled. My ears were revealed and had the sudden urge to run.

"It is you!" he exclaimed with surprise. I turned to run when Akamaru jumped over on my shoulder, licking my face. At the same time, Kiba grabbed my hand. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

"I-I couldn't... I didn't want you to know and mother forbade me reminding anyone..." I said and again, I felt the sting of tears that I'd felt before, but I was stronger now. I wouldn't cry. Not for something like this. Not now, not ever again, but especially... Not in front of him. He let go and looked at the ground as Akamaru jumped off. It almost seemed like he was urging me to go and my heart felt a little heavier.

"I missed you." he said quietly. So quietly that I barely heard. He looked up into my eyes and began searching my face. Searching for something that he couldn't seem to find.

"I missed you too." I confessed after the silence became almost unbearable. "Wanna know a secret? You're the only friend I've ever had that's accepted me..." I said, with a small smile. At the word friend, Kiba seemed to shrink a bit and I hesitated. "We are friends, aren't we?" I asked, working hard not to let the worry and doubt I felt creep into my voice. Sure, I couldn't really have him as I wanted him, but to lose him as a friend... It would be near unbearable.

"Yeah, we're still friends." he said with a smile and once again, we settled back into silence. It seemed that Akamaru didn't care to break it as he often wanted to.

"And you're a shinobi now..." I said finally. Was it meant to feel this awkward to make conversation?

"Yep. I'm a Genin." he said, sounding proud. I smiled.

"I-I'm training to be one... My exams are in a few weeks." I said softly. He seemed surprised when I said this.

"Really?" he asked, his eyes filled with curiosity. I merely nodded before picking up my hat and placing it back on my head. This time, there was no dog to pull it off.

"So... I'll see you later?" I asked, hoping that we would, even if it wasn't much.

"You bet!" he said, his mouth widening into a grin and Akamaru barked, seemingly in agreement. "Bye Ayaka." he said with a little wave.

"I'll see you later, Kiba." I replied, then headed home as quickly as I could without actually running. I crept back into my window and it seemed as though my mother hadn't discovered my absence, because nothing in my room had been moved around. Chances are, she'd finished supper and had just left some for me and not wanted to confront me yet. No one was the wiser about my escapade except me, Kiba and Akamaru. That's the way I intended to keep it.

~2 months later~

It was another uneventful Saturday and Satsuki-sensei hadn't called us with any new missions so as far as I was concerned, I had the day off. I was so proud that I'd lasted here so long this time without having to move and I'd even passed my exams. I'd finally managed to unpack my last box the night before and headed out to celebrate. Mother was getting a little more lenient about letting me out, probably since I'd been so good. I was a little regretful that I didn't get to talk to Kiba much but we constantly missed each other due to conflicting schedules.

I headed to Ichiraku for some ramen and mother wasn't there to decide if she wanted to stop me, which in a way, made my day. Upon arriving, the place was pretty full, and in looking around I nearly missed them sitting over in a corner. There was squad eight... Kiba's squad. I didn't dare go near them though. What would I say? I sat down on my own and had the waitress take my order.

The group behind me, whoever they were seemed to get louder and I was beginning to get a headache. I leaned back and when someone almost knocked into me, I held onto my hat and sighed. That had been close. Just as I let go, since the danger had passed, a large boy sat next to me. I recognized him as Chouji, and he knocked me off my chair in sitting down.

I looked up to laugh, waiting for an apology but didn't get one because everyone was staring. I could feel it. The dread building up inside me and for a moment, I didn't want to look down because I know what I'd find. I did find it. My hat had fallen off. I cursed it. Someone said my name and I stood up. I didn't even bother to pick up my hat. Someone grabbed my arm, and I apparently hit my breaking point. I pulled myself away and hit their joint, knocking them back into a group of people behind them.

"No! This can't be happening again!" I yelled angrily and bolted from the restaurant. The tears were stinging but I tried so hard not to let them fall. Even when I took precautions with my hat, it always managed to find a way to fall off. A way to reveal me to the world. I ran and ran. I ran all the way to the bridge that led out of the city. I got up on the edge, thinking to jump in and just let the water take me where it would. Take me somewhere that I could start over.

"Honey..." I heard from the side of the bridge I'd come from. I looked over to see my mother looking at me and she actually seemed sad. Part of that touched my heart but not enough to make me want to escape.

"No. I won't move again." I said. This time, I didn't shout it. I said it calmly. Our eyes battled but in the end, I won. She knew that there was no stopping me. As soon as I had established this, I let go of my balance and began to let myself fall. I could feel air rushing past me and waited for the cold water so that it could carry me away to my new life. But it didn't come. Instead, there was pressure on my wrist and I looked up to see Kiba hanging off of the bridge by his feel, grabbing onto my hand. I looked at him with surprise, and then with a look that begged him to let me follow through. "Let me go." I said. I didn't ask, because it wasn't a question. I wanted him to.

"No. I'm not letting you go!" he said, sounding stubborn. it was the stubbornness I'd heard when he was around others but not with me. "Not again..." he whispered and began to pull me back up onto the bridge. I let him, my whole body feeling numb. He looked at me and wiped away the one lone tear that seemed to have escaped the fortress I was trying so hard to keep intact. "Not again..." he muttered once more and leaned in, planting the lightest of kisses on my lips. My numbness suddenly seemed to disappear and was instead replaced with a sort of electricity. It lasted less than a second and he pulled back and searched my face as if afraid of what he'd done and looking for some sort of sign of disapproval. He didn't find it. Instead, he found a smile and I pulled him close into a hug.

"I needed to hear those words so much..." I whispered to him. When the hug ended, he gave me a serious look.

"Promise me, you won't give up." he said, his brown eyes piercing into my blue ones.

"I pinky swear." I said with a smile, holding out my pinky. He didn't hesitate and wrapped his around mind. Finally... I'd found somewhere I belonged.